PHILIPSBURG--Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs), collectively referred to as “Super Seven,” are prepared to support the restart of the debate on the draft 2016 budget in Parliament.
United People’s (UP) party leader MP Theo Heyliger told The Daily Herald the budget debate is an important one for the country, government and people of St. Maarten. “Now, we await the convocation for the resumption of the meeting as soon as possible,” he said.
“There is still much to discuss about the draft budget. We still have significant concerns about the severe cuts and how these will affect the functioning of the country and impact the people. The debate needs to continue for us to get answers and for solid decisions to be made on the way forward,” Heyliger said on Thursday afternoon.
The “Super Seven” met over the course of Wednesday, after the budget debate was stalled because the Coalition of Seven could not get the required quorum of eight MPs to restart the debate on Thursday to determine the way forward.
“In the long run, it is about St. Maarten and her people. We opted not to sign for Wednesday’s session to highlight the fact that eight is but a very, very slim majority. It should not be that one MP, from any side of the political arena, can hold up the country,” said Heyliger.
The current situation in which has independent MP Silvio Matser indisposed and unable to carry out his function as an MP due to his arrest on Wednesday morning “boldly underscored the need to immediate and far-reaching electoral reform,” said the UP leader.
“If more proof was needed that coalitions and slim majorities are not in the interest of St. Maarten, the current predicament is the perfect example,” he said.
Heyliger said a situation such as this was exactly what he as UP leader worked to prevent when he expanded the former UP-led coalition in October 2014 and then again in January 2015.
“I was ridiculed for giving up too much power. But, what is power if St. Maarten and her people were not served with a stable government? It took two from within UP to pull the plug on what was essentially a national government, a broad-based coalition, formed with uplifting St. Maarten as its primary goal. It was not about consolidation of power of one party, but bringing together people to work for the country,” Heyliger said.
The “Super Seven” has communicated to the Coalition of Eight that they are willing to reach out “across the aisle”, in the interest of St. Maarten, to get the debate on the budget restarted as soon as possible.
The actual support for the budget itself, when it comes to a vote, however, is not a done deal. The “Super Seven” is prepared to get the debate restarted on the handling of the budget to obtain answers about a number of pressing topics and issues.
